Essence Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick 05 Date Proof

essence matte lip cream

Essence Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick 05 Date Proof

Admin   June 08, 2020   Comment  

I can say just one thing about this formula: in my opinion and based on my experience it's just the repackaged previous such product by Essence Colour Boost Mad About Matte Liquid Lipstick. Even my shade is the same as the one I have from that line. Those were in these cute paint tube-like packaging, while these come in more boring tubes and they changed the applicator too. I will basically just copy my review for Colour Boost. 

Texture:  Formula is one of the thinnest such liquid lipsticks, but it's fully opaque with one coat and it sets properly matte in a minute, becoming completely transfer proof, but it sets into this layer that you are constantly aware is on the lips and for those with dry lips, it will feel very tight. I can deal with it just fine, but for a lot of people this will be an uncomfortable formula to wear. 

Shade: 05 Date Proof is almost identical to 05 Dangerously yours. I think the difference might be just in the fact that Dangerously Yours is older and the formula is now beginning to separate (same happens at Nyx's formula). It's a medium muted pink that's pinker and darker than Deborah Fluid Velvet 02 and warmer than Maybelline 15 Lover. I loved Dangerously Yours and I like this new shade too, obviously. 

Staying power: You'd expect Essence would improve at least this because Colour Boost formula was one of matte lip creams that doesn't last amazingly well on me. This performs the same. It hardly survives eating, though drinking is mostly fine.

Scent: It's got the same sweet candy-vanilla scent as its predecessor.

Packaging: is now a basic tube that's similar to those of NYX and The Body Shop. I miss the old cute ones, but I'm not that bothered by it, but I am about the applicator. The previous one for a nice hourglass design and I love this, the new on is a larger one, which makes it more clumsy. 

Price and availability: It costs 3.29 € and is sold in most drugstores. 

I don't know what was the point of this update. They didn't improve anything. But I like the colour and I'll wear it, still I would not recommend this one to anyone who has dry lips a lot because this can be very uncomfortable. Catrice's new Pro Ink liquid lipsticks are better when it comes to comfort, but the same in terms of staying power.

Have a great day!

*PR Product.

Catrice Pro Ink Non-Transfer Liquid Lipstick

catrice matte lip cream

Catrice Pro Ink Non-Transfer Liquid Lipstick

Admin   May 19, 2020   Comment  

This is Catrice's newest matte liquid lipstick formula. I've avoided its predecessor because I saw they don't really dry matte, but these are a step up from those in that respect. These contain moringa butter and are available in 10 shades. 

Texture: Formula initially feels quite creamy, almost similar to Revlon's Ultra HD, but it's thinner than that. It sets within the first few minutes and the finish is properly matte, but unlike Essence's Stay 8h Matte Liquid Lipstick this doesn't dry into this layer on the lips, so it's more comfortable to wear, but still the strong matte finish will not be for everyone and Rimmel's Stay All Day for example, which have a similar finish are a little bit kinder to the lips.

040 Braveness Wins

A classic peachy shade that's similar to Essence's This is Me Lipstick 01 Freaky.

070 I am Unique

 A light pink that in the packaging appears more cool, almost lavender, but on the lips it's closer to a neutral pink.

080 Dream Big

 A medium warm rosy shade. 

Scent: These have a sweet scent.

Staying power: is similar to Essence and neither are super impressive. They are some of the poorest performing lip creams in this respect and that are similar to regular lipsticks. Catrice's also don't survive eating. 

Packaging: The applicator is a nice one at this one. It's slightly curved, so it fits the lips nicely. The fact I applied them like an idiot for these pictures (full face ones) is my fault. I was in a hurry.  

Price availability: These cost 5.09 € and are sold in drugstores.

These are nicer than Essence's Stay 8h, which were released at about the same time. They dry to the same type of matte finish, but don't feel as uncomfortable. Regardless if you have dry lips, these still might not be good enough for you, but I've heard from several reviews they like them. I'm not happy with the staying power, there are much better formulas. 

Have a great day!

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour 600 Coral Sass

matte lip cream Rimmel

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Lip Colour 600 Coral Sass

Admin   December 11, 2019   Comment  

This is the second shade I have from this line and there's already a review for shade 500 Fire Starter on the blog, so I won't say anything new. These along with Deborah Fluid Velvets are the nicest formulas that we can get for an affordable price in drugstores in Slovenia, but they don't beat the more expensive TheBalm's for me.

Texture: It's one of the creamier formulas, or more like a mousse-cream hybrid. One layer mostly covers the lips completely, but there can be some sheer areas, so it's sometimes best to apply two layers. It dries completely matte in a few minutes and I get no feeling of tightness, stickiness or dryness. Once this sets it doesn't transfer

Shade: 600 Coral Sass is a classic reddish-orange coral shade. It's too orange for my taste, but it's a great summer colour and it would fit warm tones especially. I don't know if this is one of the new shades or it's a part of the original line up. There are a lot of shades of these, but I think we have only five. 

Staying power: Once this sets it doesn't move. There's almost no transfer, it's just tiny traces on the glass when I'm drinking and it doesn't fade weird, so it's a nice one. It's not as good as Maybelline's Matte Ink because it doesn't looks like it's freshly applied at the end of the day, but it's still one of the better ones without being uncomfortable to me. If you want a extreme staying power, try Rimmel's Provocalips.

Scent: It's got a plastic sweet scent that's not even that noticeable.

Packaging: The applicator is big and slightly cut sideways, which is ok, but it could be a bit more precise as for a really neat application I need a lipliner.

Price and availability: These used to be 6.19 € in DM and I assume the price is still the same.

Have a great day!

*PR product. Just this shade.

The Body Shop Matte Lip Butter 031 Kobe Orchid and Lip Definer Golden Syrup

lip pencil matte lip cream The Body Shop

The Body Shop Matte Lip Butter 031 Kobe Orchid and Lip Definer Golden Syrup

Admin   November 10, 2019   Comment  

I never thought I'd hear the words matte and lip butter in one product name, but The Body Shop went there. I was immediately intrigued because I expected some special moisturising liquid lipstick meets matte texture hybrid, but this is not like I imagined it at all. It's basically just a lighter version of their other matte liquid lipsticks. Six shades exists, I have the lightest 031 Kobe Orchid.

Formula: Compared to their other matte liquid lipstick formula, these are lighter. It's super lightweight texture like there is a lot more silicones in it than in its predecessors, but the formula is still creamy. They are almost fully opaque, but definitely less pigmented than matte liquid lipstick. Maybe at other darker shades the pigmentation appears stronger, as I have the lightest shade. It takes a long time for these to set to a matte finish, but in the meantime they retain that light texture with a creamy shine and are prone to wiping off. To me this shade feels like I'm wearing nothing on the lips, it's not sticky nor does it become drying at any point in time, but my lips are in general not dry. This is not a nourishing product at all, which I expected from the name, so if you're looking for care this isn't it.

Shade: 031 Kobe Orchid is a warm pale nude with peachy tones, which on my fair skintones look much stronger than they will on someone with a darker skin tone. 

Staying power: I wore lip butter on one half of the lips and matte lip liquid on the other, and the results were clear - lip butter just doesn't have the staying power to match it. It wore off much earlier, so I get a only couple of hours of wear. It doesn't survive eating and disappears completely. Staying power sadly isn't impressive at this formula. 

Both freshly applied.

Scent: These have a strong fruity scent, maybe banana and mango - I think it's something tropical.

Price and availability: These cost 8.90 € in The Body Shop.

I'm a bigger fan of the original liquid matte formula. That one is nicely pigmented and much more long-lasting, while it's still non-drying just like this one. But the shades aren't the same and usually I pick a lipstick based on that not just the formula.

Lip Definer

Golden Syrup

Texture: This is quite a dry formula, though it's very likely that the shade has a lot to do with it at this one, as I went through reviews online and these have a good rating, just for different shades. It's not dragging on the lips, but it's not as smooth as for example Essence lip liners. 

Shade: I have the shade Golden Syrup which is not written anywhere on the pencil, it's just on the sticker. It's a super pale nude, concealer like warm peachy shade. 10 years ago I'd be all over it, but now not so much, though it's not bad looking. There are 9 shades available and I see Beech is compared to Mac's popular Spice lip liner.  

Price and availability: These cost 7.50 € in The Body shop.

Have a great day!

*PR products

L'Oréal Rouge Signature Matte Liquid Lipstick 114 Represent

L'Oreal matte lip cream

L'Oréal Rouge Signature Matte Liquid Lipstick 114 Represent

Admin   August 04, 2019   Comment  

I'm always happy to try a new matte liquid lipstick, as they are some of my favourite type of products, but this is a lip stain masquerading as a liquid lipstick. You'll like it if you want a semi-opaque colour, a stain looking effect and great staying power.

Formula: This is very different from most matte liquid lipstick, since it doesn't have that creamy full-coverage texture, instead it's more of a stain, meaning more of a liquid product with a semi-opaque pigmentation that is opaque with two coats. It is almost exactly the same as some discontinued Catrice liquid stain lipstick called Made to stay Smoothing Lip Polish. It's got a kind of a glossy finish from the start and in some time as its wearing off it becomes matte or better said it gets a "natural" lip texture.

Shade: I got shade 114 Represent which looks deceptively red in the tube, however, it's a bright fuchsia. It's also one of those shades that leave that magenta stain which persists for ages on the lips (Colourpop liquid lipsticks in various shades have it too) and it's very difficult to scrub off. I went to check their other shades and their pale mauve pink leaves the same tint. Personally I hate that tint, but some love it because it lasts ages.

Staying power: Once you apply this one the lips, you can't change your mind unless you're prepared to scrub it off with a lot of waterproof makeup remover and even then you'll be left with tinted bits of dry skin. It will last through everything, at least as a tint if not opaque. On the left on the picture bellow I've tried to remove the swatch with a micellar water and you can see how intense the stain is. It took two showers to get these lines off.

Attempt of removal only with micellar water. 

Scent: It's got a chemical sweet somewhat alcoholic scent.

Packaging: The tube is very nice with the matte finish and a heart shaped applicator. 

Price and availability: These cost 13.49 €. I've seen seven colours in Müller.

This is not my cup of tea, but I'm sure many will like it. I don't like that annoying hot pink that I can't get rid of for days, but it's the thing that makes this product one of the most long-lasting lipsticks. I don't find it drying, however, it's not a moisturising product. It's a light stain type of formula, so if your lips are dry, it might not be for you without the use of an extra lip balm over it. The shade selection didn't wow me, as they are quite bright shades, but if they had this is a nice pale colour without the magenta tint, I might consider getting an extra shade as I enjoy the natural texture it gets after a while.

Have a great day!

*PR product.

Deborah Fluid Velvet Mat Effect Liquid Lipstick

deborah matte lip cream

Deborah Fluid Velvet Mat Effect Liquid Lipstick

Admin   February 12, 2019   Comment  

I've had this on my wishlist for ages because I've heard so many good things about this formula. I've tried a considerable chunk of matte lip creams available in drugstores in Slovenia and this formula impressed me immediately. I can't quite decide which I love more, Rimmel's or these (they are quite similar), but both are great quality and well worth checking out.

Texture: Like at most matte liquid lipsticks the formula is a liquid cream and it's fully opaque, applies smoothly with no sheer patches and dries completely matte in a minute. It's completely transfer proof which I appreciate most at lipsticks because accidentally touch my lips a lot. I don't find it drying on my lips and it doesn't set to a uniform layer, but almost nothing is drying on me, so I'm not best at assessing these things.

Colour: I got the second shade 02, which is one of the lightest. It's a light-medium pink that's very easy to wear. It's a warmer pink than similar colours in my collection. Shade range is quite bright and dark nude oriented, so I'm not temped to buy any more shades, even though I really like the formula. 

Staying power: Is exceptional like at a lot matte lip creams. It doesn't smudge or move, it survives meals and drinking, so I feel secure with this one.

Packaging: The tube is standard for such formulas, so I have no complaints. The cap holds well and the product doesn't leak, so the opening of the tube stays clean. The applicator is a doe foot that works just as it should.

Price and availability: I got it in DM for 6.99€.

This is a proper drugstore gem - a fully opaque formula that's perfectly matte, doesn't move and lasts great on the lips. If you're looking for some new matte formulas to try, this is a good one.

Have a great day!